Who are the team members?

Rob Mullen

While a biology student, his lab drawings led to NYC and a freelance art career. He now combines both biology and painting as a wildlife artist. He is the Founder and Executive Director of the Wilderness River Expedition Art Foundation (WREAF, 2005), working with the Smithsonian’s Arctic Studies Center at the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH, Washington DC) as well as the Canadian Wildlife Federation to help conserve North America’s great northern wilderness, the Boreal Forest. Rob is a wilderness canoeist and has been sponsored by Mad River Canoe Company since 2001.  He’s been a professional fine artist since 1995, and has been to over 70 shows with about 30 awards from coast to coast. 
 
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Credits: Rob Mullen

Kalon Baughan

Kalon Baughan currently resides in the deep woods of Montana where he works as a professional wildlife painter.  Baughan received his bachelor of fine arts degree in 1988 from Albion College, where earned the Outstanding Artist Award.  He has also served as an instructor for artists at several art symposiums across the country, and has exhibited in many group and one-person shows.  Baughan has received numerous awards and honors in his young career, including several Best of Show, Judges' Excellence, People's Choice and Peer Awards.  Baughan is a member of the society of Animal Artists and has been juried into their prestigious annual exhibit.  He was also named Michigan Wildlife Artist of the Year in 1995.  Taking research trips into the wild is Kalon's true passion. Kalon is an avid canoeist and competes nationally in downriver whitewater races. He also enjoys hiking and exploring in the beautiful rocky mountains.

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Credits: Kalon Baughan

Cole Johnson

Cole Johnson has lived in upstate New York his entire life and now resides in Deposit, New York, a small town in the Catskill Mountain region. Hunting, fishing, and spending time in "the woods" have been the preferred activities most of his life.  Cole completed his BFA with a concentration in Painting at the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1991.

Although he has worked in oils, Cole prefers to work in graphite powder. "The contrast of black and white appeals to me," says Cole. "I enjoy the challenge of making a drawing come to life based solely on tonal value."   Incorporating the powdered graphite into his work creates a softness otherwise unobtainable, and gives a distinct "mood" to many pieces. Use of the eraser as a tool in later stages of the drawing allows reintroduction of light and depth. Close-up, detailed portraits of deer, dogs, waterfowl and birds of prey are favorite pieces. Cole has won many awards for his art, such as the Judges Award of Merit at the National Arts for the Parks Competition.  In 1998, Cole was inducted into the Society of Animal Artists, a prestigious group of animal artists devoted to "promoting excellence in the portrayal of creatures sharing our planet." 

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Credits: Cole Johnson

Rod Lawrence

Rod Lawrence graduated with a fine arts degree from the University of Michigan in 1973.  His credits include being the only artist to have won nine Michigan stamp designs.  Lawrence has exhibited in many group and one-man shows, including the prestigious Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum's "Birds in Art" and "Wildlife: The artist's View" shows.  His art has also appeared as covers, illustrations and features in many outdoor magazines.  He has written several instructional books, including his latest book project which is a revised version of "Wildlife," an instructional book he co-authored.  The revised book is called "Animals" and is entirely his work.  The book was released in February of 2009.  He is a signature member of the Society of Animal Artists.

A log cabin in the hardwoods of northern Michigan, overlooking the North branch of the Manistee River, is home for Lawrence and his wife, Susan.  The symbol preceding his signature in each of his painting shows the importance of his family in his work.  The oddly shaped "S" is for his wife Susan (an accomplished basket weaver and instructor), and the "M" and "B" represent their sons, Matthew and Brett.

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Credits: Rod Lawrence

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